NetZero Launches 'Free' Wireless Broadband

NetZero said Monday that it has entered the market for a "free" wireless broadband service - at least until a year is up.

NetZero will offer a pair of plans, ranging from the "free" 1-Mbit connection up to a $49.95, 10-Mbit connection, that users can try out free for one year. To use the service and take advantage of the free service, however, customers must buy one if the hardware options the company provides: either a $99.95 NetZero 4G HotSpot, or a USB dongle, the $49.95 netZero 4G Stick.

For those old enough to have surfed the Internet in the late 1990s, the NetZero name will be a familiar one. Then, the company offered free dialup service, but one that was slow and forced the user to view ads. Now, NetZero says that its new service will forego those ads, apparently making money from its monthly fees. NetZero also tried out one of the first VoIP services, offering free calling over broadband connections.

NetZero divides its plans not by speed, but by the amount of data consumed: $9.95 per month for 500MB, $19.95 for 1GB, $34.95 for 2GB, and $49.95 for 4GB. There are no activation fees. NetZero said that there will be no overage charges; users will receive an alert as they near their limit, allowing them to "top up" with extra data, upgrade to a higher data plan, or simply wait until the next billing cycle. Subscribers can buy Top Ups in the amount of 250MB for $6.95 or 1GB for $19.95, a spokeswoman said via email.

The slower plans are automatically routed onto the 1-Mbit data rate, which NetZero calls "LightSpeed," while the faster plans receive the faster, 10-Mbit/s "WarpSpeed" connection. The service uses the Clear network, whose coverage map shows that it really only blankets some of the nation's major metropolitan areas.

"NetZero is bridging the digital divide by letting consumers purchase a secure, quality, mobile broadband service at very affordable prices with plans designed to meet the consumers' data needs," said Mark R. Goldston, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of United Online, the company that owns the NetZero brand. "Our service gives customers the freedom to take the Internet anywhere in our coverage area, without being tied to public Wi-Fi service or having to purchase higher-cost, sometimes multi-year plans offered by other mobile broadband providers. With NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband, there are no contracts or commitments."

PCMag found the NetZero hotspot to be a large, bulky box, but one that contained a battery big enough for over six hours of battery life and a large, easy-to-read LCD. (By contrast, Verizon's Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH-LC11, released in March of last year, offered under 3 hours of battery life in a pocket-sized form factor.)